busy days at the white house now with the fiscal cliff looming. what is it 36 days left i think, before we might go over the cliff. what is on the president's agenda, david jackson covers the white house for "usa today." how are you? >> fine bill. how are you? >> bill: good. i missed my favorite event of the year, last week which was the pardoning of the thanksgiving day turkey. >> absolutely. he cracked a few jokes, making crack about something like his last gift. and he also made a nate silver joke. >> bill: oh, did he? >> yeah, saying nate silver was right on on which turkey would be pardoned this year. >> bill: that's great. i read in the tribune the fact that there was a big turn out of the press corps. >> yeah a lot of reporters brought family and friends because it's an easy event to get people into. >> bill: well, it is the party season. i got my invitation to the annual christmas party. >> yeah, the number keeps going up exponentially, but i think it is about 20. and he'll be shaking thousands of hands. they stand there in some room off o